RITHAL/ROHTAK: Former Haryana chief minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda has launched a village-to-village outreach in his traditional stronghold of Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, seeking people’s feedback before deciding his next political move.The campaign began on Wednesday from Brahmanwas and covered Basantpur, Dhamar, Rithal, Kahni, Jasya, Ghilod Khurd and Ghilod Kalan. Hooda is scheduled to continue the outreach in the constituency till October 4.The Rithal meeting, however, became the talking point of the day. The village has two gram panchayats and around 7,000 voters, according to local residents. Local estimates put the attendance at around 250.Addressing the gathering, Hooda described the villagers as his “family” and sought their advice on his next political move. Drawing an analogy with wrestling, he said a wrestler needs strength to win a bout and a politician needs people’s support to move forward.Hooda asked the gathering whether he should take the next political decision if they stood firmly behind him. Several people raised their hands in support.In his characteristic style, Hooda also referred to the political fight ahead, saying his supporters should not worry and that he would handle the battle.But some villagers questioned the turnout. Om Prakash Phogat claimed that announcements had been made in the village for three days, people had been contacted over the phone and arrangements for refreshments had been made. Despite this, he claimed, the expected turnout was not achieved.Anand Phogat also questioned the attendance, saying that a village with two panchayats and around 7,000 voters should have witnessed a larger gathering. He claimed that the enthusiasm for Hooda was not the same as it used to be.The assessment, however, is based on the views of individual residents and cannot by itself establish the broader political mood in Kiloi.Villagers Jitender and Neeraj highlighted employment as an issue. They claimed that youngsters from the village had secured government jobs without recommendations under the present BJP government.BJP leader Satish Nandal, who contested against Hooda from Kiloi in 2009, 2014 and 2019, questioned the timing of the former CM’s village tour.Nandal claimed that Hooda had not organised a major programme in the constituency for nearly two years and was now returning to the villages because his political base was weakening.He further claimed that sarpanches from 46 villages had left the Congress and joined the BJP. This claim could not be independently verified.Nandal also highlighted development works, claiming that around Rs 250 crore had been spent on providing drinking-water facilities in 12 villages of the constituency. He said these villages had earlier faced drinking-water problems and that arrangements had now been made to supply potable water to households.Nandal said Hooda’s return to the constituency was an attempt to reconnect with voters and revive his political base.BJP district council chairperson Manju Hooda, who contested the 2024 Assembly election from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi on a BJP ticket, also targeted the Congress leader. She claimed that public confidence in the Congress had declined and said the Nayab Singh Saini government had undertaken development works in the constituency.Hooda, meanwhile, used his village meetings to launch a sharp attack on the BJP.He alleged that the BJP had won the 2024 Haryana Assembly election through electoral manipulation and cited Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of “vote theft”.Hooda said the Congress’s next battle would not only be against the BJP but also against what he described as manipulation of the electoral process.He questioned the functioning of the Election Commission and alleged irregularities involving voter lists and Form 6. He also referred to objections raised by opposition leaders over decisions relating to the electoral process.Hooda alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s warnings about “vote theft” had proved correct in Haryana and described the situation as a serious threat to democratic institutions.These allegations are political claims disputed by the BJP and the Election Commission.For Hooda, the village tour marks an attempt to reconnect with his traditional constituency and build support for a wider political campaign against the BJP.
